Manifesto

Software with something to say

The way of code

Legendary music producer Rick Rubin is one of the most creatively gifted people alive today. He cofounded Def Jam Records in 1984, helping to birth the modern hip-hop movement by producing for Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and many others.

In the 40 years since, he's helped create defining albums in nearly every genre. He's worked with Johnny Cash, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar.

All of this, and yet he can't play any instruments and doesn't even know how to use recording equipment.

Rick Rubin's superpowers are taste, intuition, and an ability to strip creative energy down to its essence.

So when he released a new book early this year titled "The Way of Code: The Timeless Art of Vibecoding", I was very interested in what he had to say.

Vibecoding = Punk Rock

The music industry in the 1970's was dominated by gatekeepers (record labels, radio stations) who got to decide what was considered "good music".

Punk rock stormed the gates and became a nationwide phenomenon by pressing their own vinyls, starting zines, and growing grassroots movements out of grungy basement venues. They democratized the industry, proving that you didn't need a classical education to express your point of view.

Now, Rubin sees vibecoding doing for software what punk did for music: eliminating the gatekeepers and making creation accessible to anyone with something to say.

In the months since I read The Way of Code, I haven't been able to get this thought out of my head.

The tyranny of scale

Up until just a few months ago, building a software product required venture funding to get off the ground. The investors who put in this funding were taking a big risk, and they expected the startup to take a big swing. It's broadly agreed that a startup must aim to serve millions of customers & have a shot at producing a billion dollar outcome to be considered 'venture-backable'.

AI-powered coding tools like Claude Code are taking a sledgehammer to these assumptions. Today, software can be built by anyone, in a matter of weeks, for an all-in cost of a few hundred dollars. This means software can be built for a target market of a hundred people. Or even a target market of one.

When software no longer needs to produce a huge financial return, it will open the door for a whole universe of new software to exist.

What all this software has in common is this: it will exist because of intention, not obligation.

Random software

I built this site to serve as a gallery for the collection of software projects that I plan to build in collaboration with AI + my fractional CTO. I keep a notepad with a growing backlog of project ideas that I'd like to see exist in the world. Some will be built within the context of my dayjob running airCFO, but most will be built simply because I have something to say.

If you see something you like (or hate), please reach out to let me know :)